Download What Does Your Faith Tradition Say About Caring for the Earth

What Does Your Faith Tradition Say
About Caring for the Earth?
compiled by Iowa Interfaith Power & Light
American Baptist Churches
Therefore, we call on all of the members of the American
Baptist Churches of the USA to:
1. Affirm the goodness and beauty of God’s creations.
2. Acknowledge our responsibility for stewardship of the
Creator’s good earth.
3. Learn of the environmental dangers facing the planet.
4. Recognize that our practices and styles of life have had
an effect on the environment.
5. Pursue a lifestyle that is wise and responsible in light of
our understanding of the problems.
6. Exert our influence in shaping public policy and
insisting that industries, businesses, farmers and
consumers relate to the environment in ways that are
sensible, healthy and protective of its integrity.
7. Demonstrate concern with “the hope that is within us,”
as despair and apathy surround us in the world (Rom.
12:21).
8. Become involved in organizations and actions to
protect and restore the environment and the people in our
communities.
We call upon the National Boards, Regions and
institutions of our denomination to:
9. Promote an attitude affirming that all nature has
intrinsic value and that all life is to be honored and
reverenced.
10. Seek ways and means to alert the churches to present
and impending environmental threats.
Adopted by the General Board of the American Baptist
Churches – June 1989
http://restoringeden.org/resources/
denominationalstatements/americanbaptist
Baha’i
Baha’i scriptures teach that, as trustees of the planet’s vast
resources and biological diversity, humanity must seek to
protect the “heritage [of] future generations”; see in nature
a reflection of the divine; approach the earth, the source of
material bounties, with humility; temper its actions with
moderation; and be guided by the fundamental spiritual
truth of our age, the oneness of humanity. The speed and
facility with which we establish a sustainable pattern of life
will depend, in the final analysis, on the extent to which we
are willing to be transformed, through the love of God and
obedience to His Laws, into constructive forces in the
process of creating an ever-advancing civilization.
http://www.arcworld.org/faiths.asp?pageID=2
Buddhism
All Buddhist teachings and practice come under the
heading of Dharma, which means Truth and the path to
Truth. The word Dharma also means “phenomena,” and in
this way we can consider everything to be within the
sphere of the teachings. All outer and inner phenomena,
the mind and its surrounding environment, are
understood to be inseparable and interdependent. In his
own lifetime the Buddha came to understand that the
notion that one exists as an isolated entity is an illusion.
All things are interrelated; we are interconnected and do
not have autonomous existence. Buddha said, “This is
because that is; this is not because that is not; this is born
because that is born; this dies because that dies.” The
health of the whole is inseparably linked with the health of
the parts, and the health of the parts is inseparably linked
with the whole. Everything in life arises through causes
and conditions.
http://www.arcworld.org/faiths.asp?pageID=66
Community of Christ
The Earth Stewardship Committee was established to
address the call for environmental stewardship throughout
the world in response to Doctrine and Covenants 150:7
"The land is being desecrated by the thoughtless waste of
vital resources. You must obey my commandments and be
in the forefront of those who would mediate this needless
destruction while there is yet day." The committee
recognizes the need to foster greater sensitivity toward
God's earth through a deeper understanding of human
interrelatedness to and dependence on the earth. The
committee will promote changes and embrace practices
that result in a sustainable environment. The committee
will help the church become more aware of the issues
related to the environmentally sound policies and
procedures.
http://www.webofcreation.org/
DenominationalStatements/communitychrist.htm
Disciples of Christ - The Alverna Covenant
Whereas:
God has created the world with finite resources
God has given to us the stewardship of the earth
God has established order through many natural cycles
Whereas:
We are consuming resources at a rate that cannot be
maintained
We are interrupting many natural cycles
We are irresponsibly modifying the environment through
consumption and pollution
We are populating the earth at a rate that cannot be
maintained
As a member of the human family and a follower of Jesus
Christ, I hereby covenant that:
I will change my lifestyle to reduce my contribution to
pollution
I will support recycling efforts
I will search for sustainable lifestyles
I will work for public policies which lead to a just and
sustainable society
I will share these concerns with others and urge them to
make this covenant.
Report of the Task Force on Christian Lifestyle and
Ecology, General Assembly 1991
http://www.webofcreation.org/
DenominationalStatements/disciples.htm
Episcopal
Resolved, That the 75th General Convention of The
Episcopal Church recognize that the use of fossil fuels
harms air quality and public health and is contributing to
changes in the global climate that threaten the lives and
livelihoods of our neighbors around the world; and be it
further
Resolved, That the Convention affirm that our Christian
response to global warming is a deeply moral and spiritual
issue; and be it further
Resolved, That the Convention reaffirm Resolution 1991–
A195, adopted by the 70th General Convention, declaring
that Christian Stewardship of God's created environment,
in harmony with our respect for human dignity, requires
response from the Church of the highest urgency; and be it
further
Resolved, That the Convention reaffirm Resolution 2000–
D022 (MDGs and the ONE Episcopalian Campaign),
adopted by the 73rd General Convention, encouraging all
members, congregations, dioceses, and other church
institutions to use environmentally safe and sustainable
energy sources; and be it further
Resolved, That the Convention acknowledge with praise
and appreciation the work of Interfaith Power and Light, a
non-profit initiative that helps congregations, religious
institutions and others work for a more just, sustainable
and healthier Creation (website of Interfaith Power and
Light – www.theregenerationproject.org); and be it further
Resolved, That the Convention encourage all members,
congregations, dioceses, and other church institutions to
consider prayerfully whether to partner with Interfaith
Power and Light by incorporating respect and care for
Creation into programs of worship and education, by
reducing energy use through conservation and increased
efficiency, and by replacing consumption of fossil fuels
with energy from renewable resources.
General Convention of The Episcopal Church, Columbus,
2006
http://www.episcopalarchives.org/cgi-bin/acts/
acts_resolution.pl?resolution=2006-c018
Evangelical
Christians must care about climate change because we love
God the Creator and Jesus our Lord, through whom and
for whom the creation was made. This is God’s world, and
any damage that we do to God’s world is an offense against
God Himself (Gen. 1; Ps. 24; Col. 1:16).
Christians must care about climate change because we are
called to love our neighbors, to do unto others as we would
have them do unto us, and to protect and care for the least
of these as though each was Jesus Christ himself (Mt.
22:34-40; Mt. 7:12; Mt. 25:31-46).
Christians, noting the fact that most of the climate change
problem is human induced, are reminded that when God
made humanity he commissioned us to exercise
stewardship over the earth and its creatures. Climate
change is the latest evidence of our failure to exercise
proper stewardship, and constitutes a critical opportunity
for us to do better (Gen. 1:26-28).
Love of God, love of neighbor, and the demands of
stewardship are more than enough reason for evangelical
Christians to respond to the climate change problem with
moral passion and concrete action.
http://christiansandclimate.org/learn/call-to-action/
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Christian concern for the environment is shaped by the
Word of God spoken in creation, the Love of God hanging
on a cross, the Breath of God daily renewing the face of the
earth.
We are deeply concerned about the environment, locally
and globally, as members of this church and as members
of society. Even as we join the political, economic, and
scientific discussion, we know care for the earth to be a
profoundly spiritual matter.
This statement: offers a vision of God's intention for
creation and for humanity as creation's caregivers;
acknowledges humanity's separation from God and from
the rest of creation as the central cause of the
environmental crisis; recognizes the severity of the crisis;
and expresses hope and heeds the call to justice and
commitment. This statement summons us, in particular, to
a faithful return to the biblical vision.
http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/
Social-Statements/Environment.aspx
Friends United Meeting
The concern for the care of God's creation has long been
implicit in our Christian testimony. We recognize that our
historic peace testimony to living in harmony with the
world in a covenant the renewal of which was foreseen by
the prophets as in Isaiah's vision of the peaceable kingdom
(11:1-9), by Paul (e.g. Romans 8:12-17), and in the great
commission when the risen Christ told the eleven "Go into
all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole
creation" "Mark 16:15 NRSV, the AV has all creatures).
Implicit in our testimony on simplicity is the
understanding that we will not take more than we need,
particularly (and here we move into the testimony on
justice) if it means depriving others, including future
generations, of their basic needs.
We call upon Friends to examine their own lives to see if
their own patterns of consumption reflect self
centeredness and greed rather than a concern for living
harmoniously in the creation, that we might witness to the
world that harmony. We call upon the nations of the
world, and in particular our own governments, to enact
laws and reach agreements which will protect the creation
from the effects of human exploitation, greed, and
carelessness.
http://www.webofcreation.org/
DenominationalStatements/friends.htm
Hinduism
Hindu religion wants its followers to live a simple life. It
does not allow people to go on increasing their material
wants. People are meant to learn to enjoy spiritual
happiness, so that to derive a sense of satisfaction and
fulfillment, they need not run after material pleasures and
disturb nature’s checks and balances. They have to milk a
cow and enjoy, not cut at the udder of the cow with greed
to enjoy what is not available in the natural course. Do not
use anything belonging to nature, such as oil, coal, or
forest, at a greater rate than you can replenish it. For
example, do not destroy birds, fish, earthworms, and even
bacteria which play vital ecological roles; once they are
annihilated you cannot recreate them. Thus only can you
avoid becoming bankrupt, and the life cycle can continue
for a long, long time.
http://www.arcworld.org/faiths.asp?pageID=77
Islam
The central concept of Islam is Tawhid - the Unity of Allah.
Allah is Unity and His Unity is also reflected in the unity of
mankind, and the unity of man and nature. His trustees
are responsible for maintaining the unity of His creation,
the integrity of the Earth, its flora and fauna, its wildlife
and natural environment. Unity cannot be had by discord,
by setting one need against another; it is maintained by
balance and harmony. Therefore, Muslims say that Islam
is the middle path and we will be answerable for how we
have walked this path and how we have maintained
balance and harmony in the whole of creation around us.
http://www.arcworld.org/faiths.asp?pageID=132
Judaism
From the resolution adopted by the Central Conference of
American Rabbis on climate change, 2005:
Responsibilities to Future Generations: "Therefore choose
life, that you and your descendants may
live." (Deuteronomy 30:20) Humankind has a solemn
obligation to improve the world for future generations.
Minimizing climate change requires us to learn how to live
within the ecological limits of the Earth, so that we will not
compromise the ecological or economic security of those
who come after us.
Integrity of Creation: "The human being was placed in the
Garden of Eden to till it and to tend it." (Genesis 2:15)
Humankind has a solemn obligation to protect the
integrity of ecological systems, so that their diverse
constituent species, including humans, can thrive.
Equitable Distribution of Responsibility: Nations'
responsibilities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
should correlate to their contribution to the problem. The
United States has built an economy highly dependent
upon fossil fuel use that has affected the entire globe, and
must therefore reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a
manner that corresponds to its share of the problem.
http://data.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/resodisp.pl?
file=climate&year=2005
Native Hawaiian Tradition
As faithful stewards of aloha aina (the living earth
community), native Hawaiian Tradition has these
spiritual ideals:
Ohana: all of life is related as a family
Malama: mutual caring for each other and for future
generations; awe/inspiration/reverence for all life; viewing
the world as our neighborhood; recognizing our karmic
footprint; realizing our spiritual and moral obligation to
each other and the earth
Kuleana: taking responsibility and ownership to do what
is needed; being empowered to determine one's own
future; working toward personal transformation.
Aloha: Compassion and a welcoming spirit; recognizing
the sacredness of life and our kinship with all beings;
caring for elders and ancestors (kupuna); embracing
creativity and hopefulness in all that we do.
http://hipl.org/about_us.html
Presbyterian Church, USA
The Presbyterian Church passed a resolution in 2006 at
the 217 General Assembly that “strongly urges all
Presbyterians to immediately make a bold witness by
aspiring to live carbon neutral lives. (Carbon neutrality
requires our energy consumption that releases carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere be reduced and carbon offsets
purchased to compensate for those carbon emissions that
could not be eliminated.)” The Presbyterian church finds
that the Christian mandate to care for creation and the
biblical promise of the restoration of right relationships
between God, human beings, and the rest of creation
impels and inspires us to act to reduce our energy usage.
God created the earth and all that is in it and declared it
good (Genesis 1:1). Wondrous complexity,
th
interdependence and beauty mark God’s creation. Human
beings are called by God to the task of stewardship —
taking care of the earth respectfully for its own sake and
for present and future generations that they may live on it
and enjoy its fruits (Genesis 2:15). Earth-keeping today
means insisting on sustainability — the ongoing capacity of
natural and social systems to thrive together — which
requires human beings to practice wise, humble,
responsible stewardship after the model of servanthood
that we have in Jesus. (202nd General Assembly)
General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, USA, June,
2006
http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/enough/electricstewardship/
Reformed Church of America
In 1994, a report to the General Synod stated that:
Responsible Christian witness in light of the
environmental crisis is becoming increasingly important
and urgent…the Reformed tradition offers a theology
which neither merges God with creation nor denigrates
creation as beyond the realm of God’s continuing interest,
care, and promised redemption…Humankind has been
given a special responsibility to care for creation…The
degradation of creation not only imperils life, including
human life on this planet, it is also a sin against God.(MGS
1994: 95)
https://www.rca.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=498
Roman Catholic
As people of religious faith, we bishops believe that the
atmosphere that supports life on earth is a God-given gift,
one we must respect and protect. It unites us as one
human family. If we harm the atmosphere, we dishonor
our Creator and the gift of creation. The values of our faith
call us to humility, sacrifice, and a respect for life and the
natural gifts God has provided. Pope John Paul II reminds
us in his statement The Ecological Crisis: A Common
Responsibility that "respect for life and for the dignity of
the human person extends also to the rest of creation,
which is called to join man in praising God." In that spirit
of praise and thanksgiving to God for the wonders of
creation, we Catholic bishops call for a civil dialogue and
prudent and constructive action to protect God's precious
gift of the earth's atmosphere with a sense of genuine
solidarity and justice for all God's children.
A Statement of the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops
http://usccb.org/sdwp/international/
globalclimate.shtml#change
Southern Baptist
From the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate
Initiative: We must care about environmental and climate
issues because of our love for God—“the Creator,
Redeemer, Preserver and Ruler of the Universe” (BFM
2000)—through whom and for whom the creation was
made. This is not our world, it is God’s. Therefore, any
damage we do to this world is an offense against God
Himself (Gen. 1; Ps. 24; Col. 1:16). We share God’s concern
for the abuse of His creation. We must care about
environmental and climate issues because we are called to
love our neighbors, to do unto others as we would have
them do unto us and to protect and care for the “least of
these” (Mt. 22:34-40; Mt. 7:12; Mt. 25:31-46). The
consequences of these problems will most likely hit the
poor the hardest, in part because those areas likely to be
significantly affected are in the world’s poorest regions.
http://www.baptistcreationcare.org/node/1
Unitarian Universalist
2006 Statement of Conscience
Earth is our home. We are part of this world and its
destiny is our own. Life on this planet will be gravely
affected unless we embrace new practices, ethics, and
values to guide our lives on a warming planet. As
Unitarian Universalists, how can our faith inform our
actions to remedy and mitigate global warming/climate
change? We declare by this Statement of Conscience that
we will not acquiesce to the ongoing degradation and
destruction of life that human actions are leaving to our
children and grandchildren. We as Unitarian Universalists
are called to join with others to halt practices that fuel
global warming/climate change, to instigate sustainable
alternatives, and to mitigate the impending effects of
global warming/climate change with just and ethical
responses. As a people of faith, we commit to a renewed
reverence for life and respect for the interdependent web
of all existence.
http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/socialjustice/
statements/8061.shtml
United Church of Christ
…The Twenty-sixth General Synod of the United Church of
Christ calls on the Covenanted Ministries of the United
Church of Christ, specifically Wider Church Ministries and
Justice and Witness Ministries, to address the severe
nature of this global warming crisis as one of the most
urgent threats to humankind and, indeed, all of God’s
precious planet earth and that Local Church Ministries
develop materials to help churches “green” their buildings.
A Resolution on Climate Change
http://www.ucc.org/synod/resolutions/climate-changefinal.pdf
United Methodist Church
All creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the
ways in which we use and abuse it. Water, air, soil,
minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life, and space
are to be valued and conserved because they are God’s
creation and not solely because they are useful to human
beings. God has granted us stewardship of creation. We
should meet these stewardship duties through acts of
loving care and respect.
2008 Social Principles: The Natural World
http://www.umc-gbcs.org/site/c.frLJK2PKLqF/b.
3743117/k.541B/The_Social_Principles/apps/ka/ct/
contactus.asp?
c=frLJK2PKLqF&b=3743117&en=dnIQKMMfEbKJKHNg
E3JyGQPrHfLLKNPuGkIJIPOxHnJXH